Beautiful skin is worth its weight in gold. Literally. The latest skincare craze sweeping the market is gold-infused products to make your face shine.

The Science

The use of gold comes from Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient holistic medical practice from India. It may be 3,000 years old, but it’s still kicking. Gold or “Swarma” is an overall health booster. It has anti-inflammatory properties as well as being an antioxidant. It is thought to increase lifespan, intelligence, memory and skin glow. Sounds too good to be true right?

The Myth

To be honest, there is quite a lot of hype about just how good gold is. Gold can’t physically lighten your complexion. Along those lines, melanin production and skin elasticity might be influenced by gold, but it is unlikely to happen to any noticeable degree. And the assertion that gold can cure allergies only applies if you are using it through medicinal treatments. Unfortunately, a gold mask won’t cure dust.

For Real

Gold-infused skin care products are popular because they do work. The antioxidant properties fight off free radicals, which are what cause age damage. Inflammation causes redness and acne, and the gold takes care of that as well. Finally, the gold is gold, so it adds a bit of luster to your skin and gives it the much desired glowy look.

In Truth

It is said that Cleopatra applied a gold mask every night before bed. Perhaps this led to her mysterious and much envied beauty. Today’s truth: Gold certainly has a lot of benefits, but it isn’t a magical cure-all and it’s also not necessarily better than any other antioxidant infused skincare, like honey or charcoal for example. It is, however, very expensive—the majority of gold products range in price from $50-500. There are some cheaper products to try out if you want to be able to say you use gold in your routine, but, unless you have the money to spare, there are definitely other options that are just as good as gold.

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